I wish I had the time to flesh this out in nice prose with appropriate links and citations, but I just don't have the time right now. So, this is the abbreviated version.

Many Freepers proudly proclaim that they will have nothing to do with Twitter. Here is why I think that's a mistake:

Why Twitter Matters

===================

1. It's the Executive Summary of whats important

2. Michelle Malkin started Twitchy for just that reason

3. Rush Limbaugh found this out too late after the whole sponsor-gate

4. We live in a short-attention span society

5. Even here on FR, I'd guess most FReepers just read the headlines, or scanning articles

6. In our fast-paced society, people won't take the time to read an article, but they will read a 140 char summary of what's important.

RIGHT NOW, a story abt a Miami-Dade firefighter is in the process of ramping up on Twitter. I am convinced what happens there will set the narrative for the inevitable news wave that will result from it.

If conservatives allow the left to shape the narrative, we are missing a giant opportunity.

Please forgive me if I don't make it back to this thread for a while. I have more claims on my time than I do time to allocate.

Twitter is really good at generating sports stories. And it’s really good for populist hysteria. But matters? No. Twitter is too fire and forget to matter, the very nature of the beast is that it is suppose to stream by like a stock ticker, 5 minutes ago is ancient history. Things that happen on Twitter that matter quickly move over to a slower moving part of the world, because things that matter take time.

As for me, I find that Free Republic is a one-stop source for new and informed opinion. Consequently, I've never developed an interest in any form of so-called social media. FR is a community of Conservatives. That's not the case elsewhere. I've made some quick visits to Twitter and Facebook but neither stay open in my browser continually as does Free Republic.

5
posted on 04/16/2012 10:53:28 AM PDT
by re_nortex
(DP...that's what I like about Texas.)

If conservatives allow the left to shape the narrative, we are missing a giant opportunity.

The Left always seems one or more steps ahead in this area. The Left kicks the designated narrative 'hornet nest' of the day/week/month & the twitter swarm overwhelms the target. Agile, hostile, mobile & we ignore them at our peril.

7
posted on 04/16/2012 10:54:00 AM PDT
by MissMagnolia
(Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't. (M.Thatcher))

Thanks for the post. Unfortunately many conservatives are quick to dismiss social media and they deride it without taking the time to learn anything about it.

It is true that social media can be a timesuck and a waste of time (just like the endless ZOT! and "Caption This" posts that we see here on Free Republic.)

However, social media can be a very powerful tool when put to good use. The Obama campaign in 2008 used Facebook and Twitter very effectively to generate excitement about the campaign and they got millions of people out to vote who wouldn't have done so otherwise. In fact, it can be argued that if McCain/Palin had used social media more effectively then they did, we could be living in a much different world today.

FR has been my home page for years, and continues to be. But Facebook and Twitter are very valuable tools in two different ways. FB is terrific for reaching to others who, for many reasons, are not on FR. For instance, my very left-wing former dance teacher, whom I’ve known since 1975, is coming around to a pro-freedom stance, mostly because of the NDAA issue. I’m able to hold that conversation with her, her friends and onlookers because of our connection on Facebook.

Twitter has a different framework, which Michelle Malkin and many others have used to great effect. In the same way a live thread here is so good, live Tweeting a debate, NRA speeches, whatever, reaches a wide audience that can really benefit from the interest these short bursts can spark. Here, I’ve been able to have exchanges with people who started off thinking they were totally opposed to a conservative positive and ended up agreeing.

It’s also fun to tweak the left ... for instance, the NRA addresses were being totally misrepresented by some anti-gun group... and my questions to them about self-defense, their mom/wife/sister not being prey to a criminal were not answered by them, but plenty of onlookers saw them.

And finally, when someone who is either in the news, Congress, or working for freedom follows you, you’re able to have a direct conversation with them. In my case: Darrell Issa, Thad McCotter, Brad Thor (yeah!), Erick Stakelbeck, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, IBD columnists such as Daniel Sobieski, the folks at the Heritage Foundation, conservatives running for state office, etc. - it’s a great way to directly voice opinions and concerns to them.

No, it doesn’t have the in-depth analysis of a great Freeper thread, but it’s great at what it’s meant for.

Want conservatism to go the way of the dodo? or the newspaper? Young people read twitter. Not every tweet is just a personal opinion - and in many ways, it is free republic in 140 characters.
I usually give my opinion about an article - cut and paste the article and it automatically shortens it (like tiny url) so there’s more than enough room for a comment like: can you believe eric holder said this? - and the article.

I have tried to get into Twitter but the whole time I’m on it just seems like an endless flow of mundane commentary. .I can’t help but wonder each time, “when will I begin to see the value of this?” I never do. . .I just can’t seem to give a damn that somebody is enjoying the french onion soup at Panera’s. . .really. . spare me.

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